The Whigs Rule Britain

With the coronation of William and Mary in 1688, the Whigs controlled Parliament and had support from the crown. They used this power to enact what they considered necessary reforms to prevent Stuart "tyranny" from ever returning in England. John Locke put forth the Whig doctrine in a pamphlet that became a classic of political theory, Two Treatises on Civil Government.

To prevent further religious disputes, they passed the Toleration Act, which did not recognize rights of Dissenters (former Puritans) or Catholics (or Jews), but it did allow any Christian to "conform" to Anglicanism through minimal attendance -- and thereby qualify for full rights.

It also consolidated the alliance between central government and the most active part of the society, the gentry and merchants, by creating a moderate system of taxation and a National Bank (established in 1694) that gave merchants (and the government) access to credit for investment, a resource unavailable elsewhere in Europe.